Israel said Thursday that militants have handed over the body of one of the last four remaining hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that launched the war in Gaza. Israel identified the returned body as that of Meny Godard, who was abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel. His wife, Ayelet, was killed during the attack. The armed wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said Godard's body was recovered in southern Gaza. Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 10, the remains of 25 hostages have been returned to Israel, the AP reports. There are still three more in Gaza that need to be recovered and handed over.
Godard, 73, was a professional soccer player before enlisting in the Israeli military and serving in the 1973 Mideast War, according to Kibbutz Be'eri. He served in a variety of different positions in the kibbutz, including at its printing press. Israeli authorities say he was killed by Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant during the Oct. 7 attack and his body was taken to Gaza. Israel has been releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for the remains of each hostage as part of the ceasefire agreement. The Gaza Health Ministry said the total number of remains received so far is 315. Hamas has said recovering bodies is complicated by the widespread devastation in Gaza.
Under the ceasefire deal, Hamas returned 20 living hostages to Israel on Oct. 13. The further exchanges of the dead are the central component of the initial phase of the US-brokered agreement which requires Hamas return all hostage remains as quickly as possible. The exchanges have gone ahead even as Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating other terms of the deal. Israeli officials have accused Hamas of handing over partial remains in some instances and staging the discovery of bodies in others. Hamas has accused Israel of opening fire at civilians and restricting the flow of humanitarian aid into the territory.
With just three hostages left, the sides are close to wrapping up the first phase of the ceasefire. The next parts of the 20-point plan call for creating an international stabilization force, forming a technocratic Palestinian government, and disarming Hamas. The Times of Israel reports that the bodies of two Israelis and a Thai national still remain in Gaza.
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